To See The Prophet (SAW) In One's Dreams

Question:

What is the correctness of the Hadeeth reported from the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) ãä ÑÂäí ÝÞÏ ÑÃì ÇáÍÞ "Whoever sees me (in his dream), then he has in fact seen me" And another Hadeeth that says: "Whoever sees me (in his dream), then the Fire is forbidden for him." What do they signify?

Answer:

The first Hadeeth, in which the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever sees me (in his dream), then he has in fact seen me." (Al-Bukhari no. 6996 and Muslim no. 2267)

— is authentic, and there are various wordings for it, in one narration:
"Whoever sees me in his sleep, then he has indeed seen me, for the Shaytan cannot impersonate me in my appearance." (Al-Bukhari no. 110)

And in another:
"Whoever sees me in his sleep, then he has in fact seen me, for the Shaytan cannot impersonate me in my appearance." (Ahmad 2/261)

There are many different wordings for this Hadeeth, and each one confirms that the Shaytan, the enemy of Allaah, cannot take on the Prophet's appearance, and so when a person has a dream about the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam), he has truly seen him in the dream.

The Prophet's appearance is well-known among scholars: He was of medium height, handsome, with a reddish complexion and a thick black beard; however, later on in his life, a few of his hairs turned white.

As for the second Hadeeth -
"Whoever sees me (in his dream), then the Fire is forbidden for him."

— it has no basis and is not authentic.